Jobs

A. Neurophilosophy/Philosophy of Mind & Language

The candidate should have a strong interest in relating empirical methods to philosophical questions regarding mind and language. The successful applicant will be expected to investigate these questions among others with EEG methods. Some background in statistics and eventually some affinity to an empirical or mathematical discipline (psychology, neuroscience, linguistics, physics, biology, computer science, mathematics, engineering etc.) would be welcome.

B. Philosophy of Language/Philosophical Semantics

The candidate should have a strong interest in the interface between philosophy of language and linguistics. Some background in logic or formal semantics would be welcome. The candidate should be open to the empirical investigation of language comprehension.

C. Philosophy of Cognition/Epistemology

The candidate should have a strong background in epistemology, logic, the theory of mental representation and/or the theory of reasoning. The successful applicant will be expected to integrate empirical methods and/or computer simulations into the philosophical investigation of cognition.

Each of the three positions will be filled either with a PhD candidate or a postdoc for up to three years.

Depending on qualification the stipendiary fellowship will match the net income of:

• 50% TV-L E13 position (PhD candidate, approx. 1300€/month),

• 75% TV-L E13 position (advanced PhD candidate/early postdoc, approx. 1700€/month),

• 100% TV-L E13 position (postdoc, approx. 2100€/month), respectively.

Applications should specify the name of the position and whether a PhD or postdoc stipendiary fellowship is applied for. They should include a statement of interest (not more than one page), a CV, a list of publications, copies of relevant certificates and diploma, one letter of reference and the names of two further referees.

Applications should be sent electronically to jobs-mrg1phil@rub.de by March 20, 2012. We regret that we will not be able to return any submitted material and send out negative notifications.

For further information please visit the webpage http://www.ruhr-uni-bochum.de/phil-lang/jobs.html or contact Professor Markus Werning (markus.werning@rub.de) directly.

The Ruhr-University Bochum is committed to equal opportunity. We strongly encourage applications from qualified women and persons with disabilities.

with the Programme on the Impacts of Future Technology
Faculty of Philosophy
The Future of Humanity Institute, Oxford Martin School
University of Oxford

Grade 7: £29,099 – £39,107 per annum
Protocol reference number: HUM/11042F/E

Applications are invited for a fixed-term, three-year Research Fellowship within the Oxford Martin Programme on the Impacts of Future Technology, an interdisciplinary programme within the Oxford Martin School at Oxford University.

The Programme, directed by Professor Nick Bostrom, analyzes possibilities related to long-range technological change and potential social impacts of future transformative technologies. Research foci include the future of computing and machine intelligence, existential risks, predictive and evaluative uncertainty, and related philosophical issues. The postholder will research topics related to the long-term future of machine intelligence, focusing on impacts, risks, current technical developments and foundational issues. The post does not involve developing specific AI applications. Possible backgrounds include (but are not restricted to) computer science, mathematics, or philosophy. For further particulars and application details, please see: http://www.fhi.ox.ac.uk/get_involved/future_tech_vacancies/futuretech or contact: futuretech@philosophy.ox.ac.uk.

The deadline for applications is Monday 27th February

Anyone looking, or temptable to be on, the job market might be interested in the following fellowships (they may not be aware of them since these may not appear in Jobs for Philosophers)…

They are a pretty amazing deal: 5 years of research time with a permanent lectureship at the end.

One of the areas that they are looking to hire is cognitive science, including philosophy of cognitive science: http://www.docs.csg.ed.ac.uk/HumanResources/Strategic_areas_for_appointment.doc

http://www.jobs.ac.uk/job/ADQ364/chancellors-fellowships/

Chancellor’s Fellowships

Humanities and Social Science

University of Edinburgh

The University of Edinburgh, a global top 20 University located in one of the world’s fine cities, is making a major investment in the future of its academic staff with the appointment of prestigious tenure-track Fellowships across all disciplines. These 5-year Fellowships are intended to support outstanding candidates at the start of their independent academic career. Up to 100 positions are available.

A Chancellor’s Fellow will already show the ability to conduct world-leading research and exhibit clear potential to become an international leader in their discipline. The Fellow will be able to concentrate on research in the first instance, acquiring the full duties of University Lecturer across the period of the Fellowship. Subject to satisfactory review at the end of 3 years, the Fellow will move to an open contract on the University academic staff.

Appointment will normally be made on the Lecturer scale (£36,862 – £44,016), dependent on experience, and in exceptional circumstances a more senior appointment may be made. Some positions are available with immediate effect and it is expected that successful applicants will be in post from August 2012.

Applications containing a detailed CV and a 1-page outline of a proposed research programme should be made online at www.jobs.ed.ac.uk to meet one of the closing dates below. General advice may be obtained by emailing chancellorsfellows@ed.ac.uk and specific details may be obtained from the appropriate Head of School.

Salary Scale: £36,862 – £44,016

Please quote vacancy reference: 3015150JW

Closing dates: 16 January, 29 February and 16 April 2012

Visual Embodiment Project (CIN 2011-16) at the Werner Reichardt Centre for Integrative Neuroscience, Tuebingen (Germany)

STIPEND
1,365€-1,416€ per month (tax free fellowship)

APPLICATION DEADLINE
November 30, 2011

The Werner Reichardt Centre for Integrative Neuroscience (CIN) is an interdisciplinary institution at the Eberhard Karls University Tübingen, funded by the German Excellence Initiative programme. The CIN strives to advance our understanding of the mind/brain by studying how the brain generates and sustains mental functions and how brain diseases impair these functions.

As part of its integrative approach to studying the mind/brain, the CIN offers a postdoctoral research fellowship for promising researchers in the field of philosophy of psychology and neuroscience. The candidate should either be a philosopher with a strong background in philosophy of mind/psychology/ neuroscience and a track record of interacting with empirical work in cognitive science, or a cognitive scientist with a strong track record of interacting with philosophy. Candidates should have a PhD or be very close to completing a PhD by the time of appointment.

The successful candidate will be a member of the CIN’s Philosophy of Neuroscience (PONS) group, led by Dr. Hong Yu Wong, and will be a postdoctoral research fellow on the visual embodiment project (CIN 2011-16) that the PONS Group is embarking on in collaboration with the Perception and Action in Virtual Environments Group at the Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, Tuebingen (Dr. Betty Mohler, Dr. Sally Linkenauger, and Prof Heinrich H. Buelthoff). More details of the Project can be found at https://sites.google.com/site/whywong/collaborators

DUTIES

The postdoctoral fellow will do research on the philosophical foundations of body perception, investigating such questions as how embodiment structures perception and action. The postdoctoral fellow is expected to develop an independent line on body perception, and contribute to a new conceptual framework within which we can understand notions such as embodiment, the sense of body ownership, and the sense of agency and control. These philosophical investigations are expected to lead to implementation and experimental testing of ideas with our collaborators at the Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, Tuebingen. As the MPI Biological Cybernetics is among the foremost virtual reality laboratories in the world, this collaboration will provide opportunities for us to probe theoretical claims in virtual reality in ways which cannot be physically implemented. In addition, the postdoctoral fellow will co-ordinate the research activities associated with the Tuebingen Body Perception Forum, a Forum set up to consolidate body perception research in the Tuebingen area.

FRAMEWORK

The duration of the position is for 2 years provisional on the renewal of the CIN Excellence Cluster for a second funding period after October 2012. The working language of the CIN is English. The candidate will be provided with opportunities to contribute to graduate teaching at the CIN Graduate Training Centre and the university faculties associated with the CIN. If desired, the university will provide opportunities to do a German “Habilitation” (second book) according to established rules. The planned start date of the position is January 1, 2012. Earlier or later start dates are negotiable.

According to German law, severely disabled persons with equal occupational aptitude will be given preferential consideration.

The University of Tuebingen strives to promote equal opportunities in science and is committed to increasing the percentage of females in teaching and research. Qualified female candidates are thus strongly encouraged to apply.

APPLICATION

Applicants should submit a curriculum vitae, one sample of their philosophical writing (not to exceed 10,000 words), a one page statement relating their research to the aims of the visual embodiment project, and two reference letters. Candidates should request their referees to email Dr. Wong directly with their reference letters by the deadline. All documents should be submitted electronically (pdf) to the Group Leader of the Philosophy of Neuroscience Group, Dr. Hong Yu Wong, at hong-yu.wong@cin.uni-tuebingen.de. The deadline for applications is November 30, 2011. Inquiries about the post should be directed to Dr. Wong.

Shortlisted applicants will be invited to work with the PONS group in Tuebingen for a trial period during December 5-9, 2011.

For further information on the CIN and the Philosophy of Neuroscience Group
see:

http://www.cin.uni-tuebingen.de

http://www.cin.uni-tuebingen.de/research/research-groups/philosophy-of-neuroscience-wong.php